Caterpillar-tractor.



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CATERPILLAR TRACTOR.

APPLICATION HLED OCT- 23, I917- 1,379,619.; v WW 24,1918;

11v VENTORW WITNESSES l L 'TORNEYJ mares snares earner carton CASSIUS M.WALKER, OF PUEBLO COLOBADOQ onrnnrxmnnrrasc'ron.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

1917. Serial No. 198,004.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CASSIUS M. WALKER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado,have invented 'a certain newanduseful Improvement in Caterpillar-Tractors, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description,

My invention is anjmprovement 111 mobile into a caterpillar tractor. Theprinvision of an attachment of the character de-v scribed which may bereadily applied to an automobile without altering the construction ofthe car or rendering it unfit for further use as an automobile, and onewhich may be conveniently driven from the rear axle of a pleasure car orfrom the rear axle or jack shaft of a truck as occasion maydemand.Further and more particular objects and advantages of my invention willlater appear in this specification.

In the single sheet oi drawings accompanying this application andforming a part hereof- I I Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly brokenaway, showing a pleasure automobile equipped with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the rear portion ofFig.1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, the rear axlecasingbeing shown in elevation.

Referring to the drawings, in which like,

characters of reference designate like parts in the several views, 1indicates the rear axle otan autom'obileA and 2 a pair of spacedsprockets mounted on each end of said axle. The traction chain isindicated by the reference numeral 8, the present drawing illustratingthe construction of the chain in a diagrammatic way only as any form ofchain may be utilized with the features of invention, covered by thisapplication. In my previous application, Serial Number 172,869, filedJune 5, 1917, of which application the present is a division, I haveshown and claimed a special form of chain which is particularly adaptedfor use in connection with the equipment shown and claimed in thisapplication, inasmuch as the caterpillar tractors and it relates tonovel means for altering a pleasure or commercial auto being laid in acircle. Being thus-formed and being driven by a shaft of which adifferential forms a part, there is little or no strain transmitted tothe frame ofthe equipment or to the" automobile frame F when makingturns, as the chain does not need to ieither slip or twist onthe groundunder its oad. A

Patented SeptJZd, 1918.

. Original application filed June 5, 1917, Serial 110,172,869. Divided'and this application'filed October 23,

The traction-chains run over idlers 4 which bear on the chain and whichare ournaled in bearings 5, Gmounted at opposite ends of alpair oflongitudinal frame memhere 'i'. Inorder'totake uplslack which'may-result from wear or other causes and to permit stones or otherunyielding bodies topa'ss between the chains and the drums withoutbreaking parts,'I prefer to make the rear bearings 6 automaticallyadjustable as indiv cated, a strong spring'8 being interposed betweenthe bearing 6 and a bracket 9 carried byflframe members 7. The bearing 6is mounted on the members '1 by means of bolts 10 which pass throughlugs on the bearing boxes and elongated slots in the horizontal flangesof the channels which constitute the members 7-; thus the spring Stendsalways to -move the journal 6 to stretch the traction chain but is'ableto yield as occasion demands;

Carried by each pair of members 7 there is a bracket 11' which supportsabearing 12 in which one end of the'rear axle 1 oftheautomobile isjournaled between the sprocketwheels 2; and diagonal braces 1t, 15extend i from the ends of the inner members? to points adjacent themiddle of the" rear axle casing 16 to which they are. joined by splitbearings 17 held in placeby collars 18 bolted to the casing. In brackets19 carried by the rear diagonals. 14 there is mounted a cross rod 20 onwhichthere is provided a draw bar attachment 21 to which the load to bedrawn may be secured Having thus described my invention, what I claimand desire to secure by Letters Patout is a 1. In combination, anautomobile from which the rear wheels have been removed, a sprocketwheel mounted on each end of the rear axle of said automobile, anendless traction chain running over each sprocket and adapted to bedriven thereby, a pair of idlers bearing on each traction chain, a framecar! ried by each pair of idlers, a bracket on each rear axle of saidautomobile, and diagonal .braces from the front and rear of each frameto the rear axle casing of said automobile, the connection between saidbraces and casin'g being such as to permit of a relative turningmovement between these parts.

2. In combination, an automobile fromwhich the rear Wheels have beenremoved, a sprocket Wheel mounted on each end of the rear axle of saidautomobile, an endlesstracbracket carried on each frame in position tosuiaioort one side of the rear of said automoanaemia bile, and draw barconnections secured said frames.

3.- In combination, an automobile from which the rear Wheels have beenremoved, a pair of sprocket Wheels mounted on each end of the rear axleof said automobile, an

endless chain running over each pair of sprockets and adapted to bedriven thereby,

a pair of idlers bearing on each traction chain, a frame carried by eachpair of idlers,

and a bracket on eachfraine in position to form a bearing for an end ofthe rear; axle of said automobile between the adj aoent pair ofsprockets.

Iii-testimony whereof, l have hereunto affixed my signature,

onssiios M. WALKER.

